Promotion of Decent Work in Situations of Fragility

What is the Supporting Initiative on the Promotion of Decent Work in Situations of Fragility?

“Promotion of Decent Work in Situations of Fragility” supports the ILO’s flagship “Jobs for Peace and Resilience” programme for the dissemination of knowledge and the delivery of training and learning activities.

Estimates indicate that 1.5 billion of the world’s 7 billion people live in situations of conflict and fragility and that this number is growing. It is estimated that 100 million people have sought humanitarian assistance in each of the last three years and that people with humanitarian needs will double between 1990 and 2025. Seven million children are refugees and an estimated 11.2 to 13.7 million children around the globe have been displaced inside their own countries. By the end of 2013, 51.2 million individuals had been forcibly displaced worldwide as a result of persecution, conflict, generalized violence or human rights violations. Some 16.7 million persons were refugees. The global figure comprised 33.3 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) – including people who had become internally displaced due to disasters – and close to 1.2 million asylum seekers. Between 2005 and 2014, over 700,000 people lost their lives as a result of disasters, 1.4 million were injured and around 23 million were made homeless. Overall, more than 1.5 billion people were affected by disasters in various ways during this period, with women, children and vulnerable groups disproportionately affected.

In fragile situations, livelihoods are destroyed, businesses interrupted, workplaces damaged and millions of workers lose their jobs and the social protection that often goes with them. Moreover, the institutions that provide for social protection, basic needs and law and order are often compromised or destroyed. Lack of respect for core labour standards, inequality and social exclusion are common characteristics of these situations.

The ILO’s response to this evolving situation is the promotion of decent work and income-generating activities, building resilience in the transition to peace and the recovery from crisis. In addition, the ILO supports efforts to provide basic social services and social protection, uphold rights, build institutions and promote social dialogue for the establishment or re-establishment of stable and democratic societies.